Teddi Mellencamp’s third pregnancy came as a surprise to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, considering how she “struggled” to bring her son Cruz, 5, and daughter Slate, 7, into the world. The Bravo star, 38, opened up about her very different pregnancy experiences on the Oct. 15 episode of her Teddi Tea Pod podcast, revealing that the conception of her third child — a growing baby girl — “happened naturally” with husband Edwin Arroyave, 42.
“I had no idea. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I was nine weeks pregnant,” Teddi admitted about her surprise bun in the oven. It was a complete 180 from Teddi’s first two attempts to conceive Cruz and Slate. Teddi gave birth to her first child, Slate, with the help of intrauterine insemination — the treatment, which involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to increase chances of fertilization, worked on the first try. But fertility treatment didn’t bring as immediate results leading up to Cruz’s birth.
Multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization were necessary before the birth of her second child, Teddi explained to her listeners. Even before that happened, Teddi sadly suffered “multiple miscarriages,” which she previously revealed in an Instagram Q&A in Nov. 2018. Although it’s a sensitive subject, the accountability coach believes it’s a necessary one for hopeful parents to talk about. “Once I started opening up and telling people I [struggled], [I heard], ‘Me too, me too.’ We don’t talk about things until somebody else is going through them,” Teddi explained on her podcast. She added, “And I think it’s so important to know you’re not alone.”
Fertility complications aside, Teddi also pointed out that she was put on bed rest during her first two pregnancies. Teddi even had a delivery scare with Cruz, who was diagnosed with a heart condition. But John Mellencamp’s daughter is now celebrating the new life inside of her, which she confirmed in an interview with Us Weekly that was published on Sept. 11! Her son, Cruz, was especially hoping for Teddi to get pregnant again — “When we told him, he was through the roof. So excited,” Teddi gushed. Both Cruz and his sister even had baby names picked out for their sibling, which was another adorable detail Teddi revealed while breaking the baby news.